A talk with Dr. Shiv Chopra on GMO

Posted on April 25, 2013 by admin

Dr. Shiv Chopra

Dr. Shiv Chopra is a Canadian icon, a food and health scientist that was fired for doing a good job in health Canada, in resisting incursion of questionable food and agri-products patented by foreign corporations that did not meet required safety criteria.

He has explained his long service with health Canada, and circumstances under which he and his colleagues were fired for whistle-blowing, in a book – Corrupt To The Core, memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower.

Myself and Teresa Lynn of Port Coquitlam got Dr. Shiv Chopra on a conference call this morning, on April 25, 2013, and recorded the conversation. It was almost an hour long. Since it covered a lot more ground than just GMO, and since people do not usually have patience to listen through an hour of talk, I had to edit it and split the discussion into sections, and keep the GMO sections together to create a 21 minute podcast.

The take away lesson from Dr. Chopra for us was, just like the Occupy movement going on everywhere, we should occupy our health and our food chain and tell the Govt and the Corporations to leave our food and our body, alone.

Another take away lesson was – Economy and GDP is fine, but food should be out of the economic design where profit trumps good living and good health. Make money somewhere else. Leave our food alone.

You can listen to the Podcast at the bottom of this page. Alternately, you can also find this, and other podcasts from this blog at iTunes. Type “Tonu” in the search field in iTunes, which is my pet name, and the name attached to this blog, and hence the Podcast. iTunes will show a number of items in result. Scroll down to the Podcast section, and you should find Tonu – Tony Mitra, among a handful of podcasts.

: Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower

You can either listen to this and other podcasts directly from there, or you can subscribe to it, and get it into your computer, or iPod or iPhone etc.

Your comments are welcome. If you do not have an account with WordPress blogging, you can get one. Alternately, you can send me an email at tonu@tonu.org, or tony.mitra@gmail.com or tonu@me.com

Thanks.

Letters to Vancouver Sun about GMO

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

This issue covers letters written to Vancouver Sun rebutting an industry lobby group’s letter to editor that provides misinformation to promote GM seeds. People that wrote the letters read them out for the Podcast, such as Phil Harrison, Bobbie BLair, and myself. You can find it at the bottom of this blog page.

Not a dull moment. A few days ago, I was unaware of the existence of CropLife Canada or its link with GMO. By today, I have seen a dozen people write to the Vancouver Sun, protesting a letter published there on April 22, by the president of CropLife, Lorne Hepworth. I learned that in effect CropLife has financial incentive to see more sale of Monsanto agri-products in Canada.

I came to know if it through emails, linking the web page for the digital version of the paper. Then I found reference to it on Facebook and on Twitter. I finally saw the actual article on a hard copy of the paper at Mr. Tal Lee’s home.

The article promotes GMO for Canada, claims that modern plant breeding technology helps the farmer, is safe for humans and environment and makes food cheaper. It claims farmers across the world are rapidly adopting GM seeds. It also claims millions of farmers in 28 countries are planting biotech crops. It does not substantiate its claims, most of which could be considered as misinformation.

So, in response, a number of folks wrote back to the news paper with their views. I was one of them. We decided not only to write to Vancouver Sun, but to create our own news outlets. This blog is one of them. We shall also read aloud our letters and create audio files for podcasts that will appear in this blog and also on iTunes.

Here is the first response to it, from Ms Bobbie Blair of Langley, BC:

From: Bobbie Blair

Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 6:00 PM

To: ‘sunletters@vancouversun.com‘

Subject: CropLife Industry Propaganda… masked as a story?

Hello,

I am a Langley resident who has a busy life, as a mom with a young child who also has a demanding career. However, since last summer, I have taken time that I DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE away from work and family, to try to create awareness in our community about the frightening implications of transgenic (GMO) crops. I came across this story you published today:

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Genetically+modified+food+welcome+innovation/8275752/story.html

After learning about GMOs and then doing more research, I was absolutely shocked that our governments were allowing Biotech corporations like Monsanto to not only play with nature (genetic pollution cannot be contained once released into the environment), but to play roulette with our health as well. We are not talking about hybridization, but activities are “invasive to the plant at a cellular level” inserting foreign DNA (animal, human) into plants, and even, as in BT corn and BT cotton, inserting the insecticide into the cells of plants, so that the plant “grows” its own insecticide from the inside out (and then we eat that corn in our processed foods, and eat the meat and dairy from animals fed this stuff… YUMMO!) But Monsanto (the largest Biotech corporation) created DDT, Agent Orange, PCBs and RoudUp, so they are a chemical company looking to control the seed market and the chemical pesticide and herbicides used. In Monsanto’s perfect world, all seeds grown are patented by them, and sprayed with their chemicals worldwide. This is their mission. CropLife works for them, promoting their products. Simple as that.

GMOs are patented seeds that have NEVER been independently tested for safety by either our government, not the US government. On top of this, many farmers have been destroyed by the patented seeds blowing into their fields. (Destroyed financially, emotionally and also literally due to farmer suicides). Biotech corporations have been given the authority, under patent law, to sue a farmer for patent infringement when in fact he does not want their seeds, and their presence in his fields is unwelcome. (Any right- thinking person of average intelligence sees at once that this is not right, and not the way laws normally are written in a great country such as ours). Why is it that the Biotech Industry is allowed to bully farmers, and put their untested (“scientific” studies paid for and conducted by the Biotech industry do NOT count) Franken foods into our food system UNLABELLED? Does any of this sound exaggerated?? I will tell you, I thought a lot of the stuff I came across online had to be exaggerated, as it was so outrageous, so I went to the SFU library, where I found books that supported the horrifying stuff I discovered online. I am not a Genetic Scientist or a professor of Biology or Environmental Studies or anyone with such credentials, but I can put you in touch with such experts, if you wish.

I will tell you, it is EXTREME CONCERN that forces a busy working mom like myself, to take time that I do not have to spare, become an activist and take up a cause. However, I realized that if we do not wake up and take back control of our food, our farmers are going to be reduced to serfs of corporations, and we will lose all choice and access to truly natural and organically grown food. I feel like I am fighting for my daughter’s future, and that we are actually standing at a crossroads right now. It is hurtful and painful for someone like me, when I am trying so hard to expose the truth and spread awareness, to then see a respectable newspaper like the Vancouver Sun allow Crop Life to print pure industry propaganda, to further confuse a society that already lacks important information.

I can only assume that you were not aware of what you were publishing when you ran the above story created by CropLife. Please do an online search on Monsanto, because CropLife works for them, and present the real facts, to set the story straight. As a respected and responsible newspaper, this is the only right thing to do. We rely on local media to be the voice of the people, and a vehicle of truth. I am sure that now that you know, you will set the record straight.

Bobbie Blair

Next, is the letter written by Phil Harrison:

From: PHIL Harrison

Subject: Letter to editor

Date: 22 April, 2013 11:12:50 PM PDT

To: News <sunletters@vancouversun.com>

Dear editor:

I like to respond to the one sided article “Genetically modified food is welcome innovation”. It should be noted that Crop Life Canada represents Monsanto and the other companies making genetically modified organisms, GMOs. The information presented is very much the industry spin.

The article talks about the claims of reduced herbicide use that these products allow. Although this is true for the first few years, over time the weeds develop a resistance to the herbicide. This has forced farmers to spray more and more herbicide for the same result. The resistance now has developed to the point that many weeds are completely immune. Monsanto has addressed this by developing new, more toxic versions of herbicide resistance plants. I think this proves that the reduced pesticide use claim now being made is at best misleading, if not downright dishonest.

Another point I’d like to make is on the safety testing of GMOs. There are no independent studies done on new GMOs being released into the market place. All studies done in North America are done by industry. The company standing to make an immense amount of money on the release of the GMOs can not be trusted to make an honest assessment of their safety. However, Health Canada takes industry’s assurance of safety at face value and approves them. This process does not give me any confidence in the integrity of the process.

I’d like to point out that 65 districts and municipalities in BC have been persuaded of their risks to pass resolutions opposing GMOs being grown in their area.

I hope that the paper will print an article that discusses the many health and environmental risks these products pose.

Phil Harrison

Next is my letter:

From: Tony Mitra

Subject: Genetically modified food is not yet welcome

Date: 23 April, 2013 1:06:56 AM PDT

To: sunopinion@vancouversun.com

Re: Letter to the editor dated April 22, 2013 – Genetically modified food is welcome innovation

The article declares opinion and not factual data on benefit of GM food.

Since the technology is primarily poison related, with pesticide in the soil, or toxin in plant DNA, precautionary principle calls for a thorough independent long term analysis of potential harm to health and environment and potential loss of biodiversity.

There is evidence that with the introduction of GM crop, alternative seeds slowly disappear, leaving the patented GM seed as the sole option in a model that promotes mono-culture. This in effect amounts to a loss of biodiversity, and a shrinkage of seed independence and food security of a nation.

The Irish potato famine is a good example where the whole nation was planting only one kind of crop, and when a specialized pest attacked it, it destroyed the entire nations potato and brought on their worst famine in history. There is a danger of that happening with mono-culture regime in any crop.

There is also the issue of food security and if Canadian farmers should lose the ability to choose what variety of crop strain they wish to plant, and only have one kind of patented seed available in the market, controlled by a foreign corporation. This can be taken as a nation losing its food independence.

Finally, the patent holders exert an unprecedented control over lab analysis of their products claiming intellectual property rights. Only with permission of the patent holder can scientific study be done on merit of GM seeds. Even then, the results must be shown to the patent holder before publication and if the result is not flattering, it cannot be published. In short, the patent holder has the veto power to stop any negative report of their product. In a letter published in Scientific American magazine in Aug 2009 the editors write that scientists must ask seed companies for permission before publishing independent research on genetically modified crops, and that this restriction must end. The very fact that analysis is restricted raises doubt about the usefulness of GM food.

There is an increasing body of evidence and data available from outside of North America, such as from Europe and India which raises doubts about Genetically modified seeds.

Further, there is a rise in obesity and other problems of health in the US over the past decade, along with similar increase in average intake of GM food per person. This does not definitively prove a link between GM food and ill-health. However, it indicates a possibility. Therefore, even more rigorous study should be made to check possible negative health effects of GM food.

It is important to remember that it took a hundred years to establish a definite link between smoking and lung cancer. Therefore, with just a decade of use of GM food products, and without serious independent scientific analysis of their effect, one cannot claim that GM crops pose no health risks to mankind.

Therefore, it stands to reason that Canada should consider a moratorium on any GM crop till such time as more definitive scientific analyses can be concluded that prove these crops to be either beneficial or otherwise.

Tony Mitra

And here is a letter written by Dr. Thierry Vrain, rebutting a different but related piece by Robert Wager of Comox Valley (http://www.canada.com/What+really+happened+AVICC+regarding/8280922/story.html). We got the rebuttal from Thierry himself in an email.

Dear Mr Wager,

I retired 10 years ago after a long career as a research scientist for Agriculture Canada. When I was on the payroll I was the designated scientist of my Institute to address public groups and reassure them that genetically engineered crops and foods were safe. I don’t know if I was passionate about it but I was knowledgeable. Like you I took side and I defended the bright side. The side of technological advance, of science and progress.

I have in the last 10 years changed my position. I started paying attention to the flow of published studies coming from Europe, some from prestigious labs and published in prestigious scientific journals, that questioned the impact and safety of engineered food. I was the speaker after you at the AVICC convention in Sooke. Your presentation intended to reassure the audience that genetic engineering is necessary to feed the hungry world of the future, and that the food derived from engineered crops is not different from the non engineered food. I thought it was bold of you to make the sweeping statement during the question period that all I had said was pseudo-science. You appear to be a passionate man, emotional and knowledgeable about your topic. And very dedicated to reassure the public in your opinion letters to the Globe and Mail and other newspapers.

In my presentation following yours I refuted each of the claims of the biotechnology companies that their engineered crops yield more, that they require less pesticide applications, that they have no impact on the environment and of course that they are safe to eat. My presentation was basically a review of over 100 separate published studies. There is a good number of scientific studies that have been done for Monsanto by Universities in the USA, Canada, and abroad. Most of these studies are concerned with the field performance of the engineered crops, and of course they find GMOs safe for the environment and therefore safe to eat. There is however an overwhelming and growing body of scientific research done mostly in Europe, Russia, and other countries, showing that diets containing engineered corn or soya cause serious health problems in laboratory mice and rats. Mice and rats are the canary in the mine. We use them to test the safety of a lot of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. We should all take these studies seriously and demand that the government agencies replicate them rather than rely on studies paid for by the biotech companies.

The Bt corn and soya plants that are now everywhere in our environment, are registered as insecticides. But are these insecticidal plants regulated and have their proteins been tested for safety? Not by the federal departments in charge of food safety, not in Canada and not in the USA. There are no long term feeding studies performed in these countries to demonstrate the claims that engineered corn and soya are safe. All we have are scientific studies out of Europe and Russia, showing that rats fed engineered food die prematurely, with breast cancer, and kidney and liver damage. All these studies are compiled and referenced in a report published last June called GMO Myths and Truths – available for free at Earth Open Source.

These studies show that proteins produced by engineered plants are different than what they should be. Inserting a gene in a genome using this technology can and does result in damaged proteins. The scientific literature is full of studies showing that engineered corn and soya contain toxic or allergenic proteins.

Genetic engineering is 40 years old. It is based on the naïve understanding of the genome based on the One Gene – one Protein hypothesis of 70 years ago, that each gene codes for a single protein. The Human Genome project completed in 2002 showed that this hypothesis is wrong. The whole paradigm of the genetic engineering technology is based on a misunderstanding, and ignoring of the new knowledge. Every scientist now learns that any gene can give more than one protein and that inserting a gene anywhere in a plant eventually creates rogue proteins. Some of these proteins are obviously allergenic or toxic.

It appears that many people in the Comox Valley are concerned enough. Our latest local poll in the CV Echo was 95% of people in this valley want labeling or an outright ban of engineered product. This is our local reality, I cannot speak for the rest of Vancouver Island but I suspect that the AVICC delegates voted “what their constituents want”.

Thank you for your consideration Mr Wager, I don’t suppose that we will ever reconcile our positions. For my part I will keep pushing and writing to alert the public and government agencies until the safety studies are initiated. I assume that you will keep your reassuring stance as well.

Respecfully,

Dr. Thierry Vrain

Next letter is from Brandie Nadiger-Harrop, which is expected to be published in Vancouver sun by Friday, April 26th.

Brandie Nadiger-Harrop to Vancouver Sun

My take on the GMO food in our food system

Recent stories, studies and suggestions have been surfacing regarding genetically modified organisms, and the confusion out there has inspired me to write what I have learned over the years in my own research on the subject.

There are no government agencies anywhere doing long-term testing on the safety of genetically engineered (or GMO) crops. Nearly all studies on the subject are funded and supported by the biotechnology industry and it’s peers. The USA called the engineered products “substantially equivalent” to their conventional counterparts, and that has been used, unquestioningly and blindly, as a scientific truth with zero independent research supporting the phrase.

GMOs are NOT good for the environment. Cross contamination with conventional and organic crops destroys any options for people who do not want to consume GMO & for food companies that don’t want to use them. The diversity of our food supply is dwindling due to GMOs as older varieties fade away in the world of the monocultured GM fields and as contamination spreads. There is also the fact that since the excessive growing of GM crops, the bees and butterflies are dying. We need our pollinators for food, we MUST look into this! Herbicide being sprayed directly onto GM Roundup Ready crops is now being found in the air we breathe, the water we drink and in our food. The government’s answer to this? Raise the acceptable level of what the food contains! That is looking out for our health and well being?

Recent tests also show that the natural microbial balance in our soil is dying off, affecting worms and all aspects of our croplands. We are effectively killing our growing medium with these products! That is good for us or our environment? In David Suzuki’s documentary, the Silent Forest, he talks about how the toxins living inside the plant leach into the ground and eventually into our water.

Biotech industries would have you believe that farmers are embracing GMOs but I beg to differ. The farmers at my farmer’s market have all lobbied the government in protest to no avail. If the farmers are embracing them, then why is the National Farmer’s Union doing mass protests like the Canada-wide Day of Action on April 9th to protest GMO alfalfa? That doesn’t really sound much like “embracing” to me.

There are new studies coming out every week on the potential risks of GMOs, but no one seems to be listening. A long term study in France came out at the end of last year proving that GMO’s and glyphosate cause tumours, cancer and infertility. Take a look at the human cancer numbers before genetic engineering, and after it infiltrated 80% of out processed foods. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that something is dreadfully wrong with our food supply. Lack of labeling has made it impossible to directly tie GM ingredients to disease, and that is a wise angle the biotech companies spend millions on to defend.

Biotech companies would have the public believe that protesters are few and using old data to create fear mongering, that the majority of the public and farmers want this. If most are for this, why is Canada starting to protest? Canadians almost never protest. How are we able to organize country-wide protests and having good turnouts at every rally all across Canada, with the farmers AND the consumer? If the world really loves this then why are they banned or labeled in 61 countries?? Probably not because they think GMOs are safe. Also, if the world is “embracing GMOs”, why is there a worldwide protest happening on May 25th? 252 cities in 37 countries on 7 continents?? It is going to be the largest world protest ever seen. That once again doesn’t sound like the world embracing GMO, it sounds like the world is embracing their right to NOT have GMOs on their plates or in their countries.

The biotech industry would love for the public to believe that anti-GMO supporters are a few crazy people belonging to special interest groups that are more concerned with fundraising than with health concerns. The people of many groups such as GMO Free Canada and Millions Against Monsanto all donate their time and efforts, using money out of their own pockets to fund their printing and travel. The organic industry pays with their own money to defend their livelihood from GMO contamination.

BC now has 16 GMO free zones and Vancouver Island is now fighting to become a GMO free zone. That’s a lot more than just a select few crazy misinformed people…THAT is the GENERAL PUBLIC!

sincerely Brandie Harrop

member of the board GMO Free Canada

PODCAST

We are trying to get folks that wrote the letter to read them out in their own voice, to prepare an audio podcast of it. So far we have only a few letters covered. But we expect the podcast to get longer as more contribute. You can find the podcast at the bottom of this page.

A talk with Rajesh Krishnan of Greenpeace India

Posted on April 20, 2013 by admin

Rajesh Krishnan, Greenpeace, India

On April 18, 2013, I spoke with Mr. Rajesh Krishnan, to learn about the current situation with GMO crops in India, from the perspective of Greenpeace.

Rajesh Krishnan is a sustainable agriculture campaigner at Greenpeace India.

The 29 minute conversation is included in the podcast link at the bottom of this page. A brief summary given below:

India needs a shift in paradigm, away from industrial, input intensive, resource destroying model, to a sustainable one.
Farmer suicide escalated since 1990s. To say farmer suicide have not been aggravated by GM crops would be like shutting your eyes from light. The suicide increased with industrial agriculture. With the last decade, adoption of MG crop has aggravated the need for more chemicals, more water input, more cost, and has increased the slope of the economic treadmill of the farmers. The need of pesticides have not gone down. It has increased. Along with need for more fertilizers. So GMO have increased the level of farmer distress, which was already bad since western agri-model was introduced here.
Pesticide usage has had a serious impact on the environment. It kills various organisms in the soil, even beneficial ones that would themselves have attacked and controlled pests. Pesticide spoils soil condition. The left over plant matter of the Bt. Cotton itself has also lead to harmful impact on the soil microbes, thus destroying the soil fertility.
There are reports in Andhra Pradesh that sheep that browsed on the cotton plants after harvesting of Bt Cotton fields got sick or died. Animal husbandry department issued a notice advising against letting sheep graze on Bt cotton fields. But the genetically engineered crop appraisal body stated that the sheep death are not related to Bt Cotton. Several scientists have challenged this and claimed that there is not enough proof that the sheep death are not linked to Bt toxin, while circumstantial evidence points to a possible link.
This may become an election issue. During the last election, the ruling party waived some farm loans as a temporary solution to farmer distress. This amounts to addressing the symptom rather than providing any real solution.
The Govt is openly pushing for smaller farmers to leave farming, so that larger industrial farming can step in. But, there is no alternative employment available for the huge farming community. So they come to cities and become slum dwellers. There is evidence now that as soon as people lose their land, their food security falls drastically, and adds to the distress level of the internal migrants. It is going from bad to worse for the farmers in the country.
Will there be an electoral backlash next year ? Well, there is no revolution yet from the distressed farmers – but there is a simmering swell of resistance ongoing for a while. Also, there has a very vibrant civil society that is pushing the Govt to seek long term sustainable solution to farming. This effort has cushioned the shock and in effect may be converting a potential revolution into an gradual evolution of farm policies.
The moratorium on Bt. Brinjal (eggplant) has effectively stopped comercialization of all GM crops as well as its field trials, except for Bt. Cotton that is already in use.
Agriculture is a federal issue according to the Indian constitution. However, provinces can say “no” to field trials. As such many provinces have complained to the federal Govt that field trials of GM crops have been started in their states without their agreement. Because of these oppositions, the central Govt has issued a directive that any application for field trial of GM crops in India would require a “no objection” certificate from the appropriate departments from the state Govt. This directive was enacted by the Govt of India in 2012. Since most provinces are showing reluctance to GM crop trials, even field trials are gradually coming to a halt.
Civil society is now calling India to enact a bio-safety protection regime to safeguard India’s agriculture and environment from unintended harmful effect of badly designed GM crops. The idea is for the new law to adopt a “precautionary” approach to authorizing GM technology into the environment or the food chain.
India will need continuous and sustained mass movement and public pressure to resist the enormous push by big money and corporations to take over the agriculture sector. India will need a continuous and wide ranging involvement of a lot of citizens in the country to be to maintain that public pressure to ensure food safety and biodiversity remains healthy and vibrant.
There is an unfortunate situation in India were its traditional and homegrown knowledge is not given its due when compared to western imported industrial technics of agriculture. That is also why people who object to GM and industrial chemical dependent agriculture are branded as anti-science or back dated. But actually the civil society is not against science. There is a need to separate science from technology, and from tested, good technology from harmful tools. But the GMO lobby does not wish to get into those nuanced discussions. They simply paint every one raising questions as anti-science.
India has moved in one decade from a place where there was no knowledge or debate on GMO to a place where there is a rising level of involvement and a very vibrant debate on GMO on agriculture. Latest is a strong group of scientists that have taken up this issue and criticizing the mindless way that the Govt of India is trying to push GMO for the benefit of corporations without regard to safety of the people.
The agriculture minister, Mr. Sharad Pawar has been going around stating that if India does not adopt GM crop technology, then India’s food security may be compromised. Many different groups came out publicly opposing this view. The scientific community has come forward challenging this view and has pointed to scientific data how GM crops are not suitable for improving food security. Other civil society groups like “right to food” campaign, the farmer’s union, are all challenging that argument. It has been interesting to see how the debate on GM crop has evolved in India over the past decade, and all are now asking for a “precautionary” approach to GM crop, instead of a “promotional” approach.

There is no shortage of food. There is a shortage of humanity

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

Rajesh Krishnan of Greenpeace India, had sent out an email version of a report that first came out in Times of India by Devinder Sharma in Feb 2013. I got a copy of it through the group mailing list of India against GMO. I don’t know Mr. Sharma, but I do know Rajesh Krishnan, a sustainable agriculture campaigner from Greenpeace india. I am planning to call Rajesh up in the next few days, to record his views in his own voice on this issue, about the situation with India’s agriculture. Meanwhile, I thought I shall archive that report here on my blog, and ponder about a few paragraphs shown in red. Many readers commented there. A large number supported GMO and did not agree with the paper. A few did agree though. I did respond with my comments, to the paper, a screenshot of which is also inserted.

GM crops claim to increase yields, but the problem is of access and distribution, not production

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/GM-crops-claim-to-increase-yields-but-the-problem-is-of-access-and-distribution-not-production/articleshow/18716332.cms

By Devinder Sharma | Feb 28, 2013, 12.00 AM IST

Speaking at the annual Oxford Farming Conference a few weeks back, the rebel environmentalist Mark Lynas, who went over to the all-powerful GM industry, was quoted as saying: “Research published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests the world will require 100% more food to feed the maximum projected population adequately.”

It’s not the first time this argument has been used, but considering the emphasis Lynas laid on the capabilities of controversial genetic engineering technology to meet the growing demand for food, a flurry of articles and editorials appeared. The underlying argument is the same. The world needs to produce more for the year 2050, and therefore we need GM crops.

Well, what population projections are we talking of? The planet today hosts seven billion people, and all estimates point to population growing to nine billion by 2050. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), more than 870 million people were chronically undernourished in 2012, with almost 250 million of the world’s hungry living in India.

These appalling statistics generate an impression of an acute shortfall in food production. At every conference, the same sets of statistics are flashed to justify the commercialisation of GM crops. But how much food is globally available? Is the world really witnessing a shortfall in food production? Or, for that matter, is there a shortage of food in India? These are the questions that have been very conveniently overlooked.

Let us therefore take a look at the performance of global agriculture in the year 2012. Despite the severe drought in the US and Australia, where wheat production is anticipated to fall by 40%, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that the world still harvested 2239.4 million metric tonnes, enough to feed 13 billion people at one pound per day.

In other words, the food being globally produced today can feed twice the existing population. According to the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), against the average requirement of about 2,400 calories per capita, what is presently available is 4,600 calories. So where is the crisis on the food production front? The crisis is in food (mis)management, which surprisingly is being ignored.

In the US, Canada and Europe, 40% food is wasted. For example, Americans waste $165 billion worth of food every year, which could very well meet the entire requirement of sub-Saharan Africa. Food wasted in Italy, if saved, can feed the entire population of the hungry in Ethiopia. According to the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers, almost half the food produced globally is allowed to go waste. Studies show that 50% of fruits and vegetables stocked by supermarkets in US actually rot. If all the food wastage was to be appreciably reduced, hunger and malnutrition can easily become history.

In India too, it is not a crisis in food production. On Jan 1, India had 66 million tonnes of food stocks. As someone has said, if you were to stack all those bags of grain one over the other, you could climb up to the moon and back. That’s the quantity of food that has been available almost every year since 2001.

While visuals of food rotting in godowns are fresh in the memory, the government has been merrily exporting the surplus rather than feeding its hungry millions. This fiscal, wheat exports are expected to touch 9.5 million tonnes; rice exports have already crossed nine million tonnes in 2011-12. Instead of propping up food procurement and distribution, the food ministry is actually toying with the idea of withdrawing from procurement operations and using surplus stocks in futures trading, leaving the hungry to be fed by the markets.

Meanwhile, GM crops are being promoted as the answer to growing food needs. In reality, there is no GM crop in the world that actually increases crop productivity. In fact, the yields of GM corn and GM soybean, if USDA is to be believed, are actually less than the non-GM varieties.

Nor has the promise of a drastic reduction in the usage of harmful pesticides proved to be correct. Charles Benbrook of the Washington State University has conclusively shown that between 1996 and 2011, the overall pesticides use in US has risen by a whopping 144 million kg. In addition, as much as 14.5 million acres is afflicted with ‘super-weeds’ — weeds that are very difficult to control. And such has been the contamination that 23 weeds now fall in the category of ‘super-weeds’.

Regarding safety, a few months back the revelations by Giles-Eric Seralini, a molecular biologist at the University of Caen in France, shocked the world when for the first time he demonstrated long-term studies involving rats fed for two years with Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready GM maize. The rats had developed huge kidney and mammary gland tumours, had problems with their body organs and showed increased mortalities.

Against the usual practice of such studies involving feeding rats with GM foods for 90 days, Seralini had for the first time ever experimented with rats for two years, which corresponds to the entire human lifespan. As expected, the shocking results, peer-reviewed and published in a respected scientific journal, have already created quite a furore internationally.

I therefore don’t understand the need to take a huge risk with human health and environment when there is food available in abundance. The greater challenge is to curb wastage, provide adequate access and ensure judicious distribution of food.

The writer (Devinder Sharma) is a food and agriculture analyst.

Sent out by : Rajesh Krishnan, Sustainable Agriculture Campaign, Greenpeace India

===================

Meanwhile, I am searching for a way to contact the original writer Mr. Sharma, in a hope of establishing a contact, and hearing his point of view too.

Letters to the Green Party members of British Columbia

Posted on April 15, 2013 by admin

From: tony.mitra@gmail.com

Subject: Request for an interview with the Green candidate Mr. Hosein

Date: 14 April, 2013 10:54:06 PM PDT

To: richard.hosein@greenparty.bc.ca

Dear Mr. Hosein

I am an ordinary retired engineer that is trying to engage with the politics of Canada at the grassroots level. I have strong views on preservation of natural bounties of

the planet and to look for a sustainable future for the humankind, without destroying the environment in the name of progress.

I have posted a comment on your Green party web page, requesting for a citizens interview. Perhaps that was not the best place to present the request – hence I found your email address on the same page, and am sending you this message as a follow up.

I wish you good luck in the coming election. I like some of the Green Party policies. It is unfortunate that the party appears to be n the fringes of public eye. One of my friends is standing for election on the Green platform from Langley riding.

I’d like to interview Mr. Richard Hosein – a citizen’s interview, with my home video camera, asking questions mainly about the Green Party plan for the nations well being, focussing on a few items such as:

1. GMO in our food chain and in the countryside.

2. Carbon footprint for BC and Canada – and Global Warming.

3. Reducing environmental damage rather than increasing it in name of progress.

4. What should be the definition and criteria, in calculating “progress”.

I am not a journalist, but a retired engineer. I’d like to interviewyou, to edit and put up on the U tube and perhaps on my blog (www.tonu.org), as part of citizen journalism.

Please respond if acceptable. I can be found at:

Email: tony.mitra@gmail.com

Twitter: @tonymitra

Facebook: Tony Mitra

Mobile: 604-649 7535

Best wishes

Tony Mitra

Note : Richard Hosein has agreed to arrange for an interview soon.

==================================

I am hoping that Mr. Hosein would agree to the interview. Meanwhile, I also sent out a second email to Ms Jane Sterk, the leader fo the Green Party in BC. The text is as follows:

From: tony.mitra@gmail.com

Subject: Request for an citizen’s interview with some Green candidates

Date: 15 April, 2013 7:13:13 AM PDT

To: office@janesterk.ca

For Ms Jane Sterk,

BC Green party

Good day.

I am a recently retired engineer and concerned about the the future with regard to climate, sustainability, food security, governance, even the functioning of democracy.

I have admired some of your blog posts.

I have lately been trying to engage with the grassroots volunteering for good cause as well as engaging with the political process that shapes the nature of social debats at provincial or federal level.

I write a blog time to time as a hobby : www.tonu.org

I have been attempting to conduct citizens interview of some of the candidates from the lower mainlands area, to record and perhaps convert into either an audio podcast or a video, to freely circulate through U tube etc, for interested parties, as part of citizen journalism and social service.

I am keen to find Green party candidates from the lower mainlands that might spare me a half hour for the same. Issues I should like to raise with them are, for example:

1. GMO in our food chain and in the countryside, along with the pesticide tide.

2. Carbon footprint for BC, for other provinces and for Canada – and global warming

3. Stopping environmental damage in the name of economic progress.

4. Re-thinking of what should be ideal datum and criteria to calculate “progress”

5. Tweaking of the democratic system, such as proportional representation, multi-party alliance, or citizens direct input on parliament issues through internet referendums etc.

6. Taxation without representation – BC govt taxes legal residents of other nationalities, but does not allow those tax payers any voice in how their tax dollars are spent. This (taxation without representation) was the issue that triggered US colonies move to independence from British control. I am told UK is the only country which allows all tax payers to vote at all levels, though only citizens can be elected.

Issues of these kind.

I request you, through this email, to see if you can help me contact a few of the Green party candidates of this region (I live in Delta, BC), for such interviews.

Thanking you, and wishing the Green party best of luck.

Tony Mitra

10891 Cherry Lane, Delta, BC, V4E3L7, Canada

604-649 7535

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Here too, I am hoping that Ms Sterk would respond. I like some of the policies of the Green Party. It would be interesting to ask her views on things.

===========

I have subsequently asked similar questions to following Green candidates:

Sara Sharma, Candidate from Surrey-Panorama

Regan-Heng Zhang, Green Candidate – Vancouver – Langara

Tim Binnema, Surrey-Fleetwood

I hope to get some positive response from them in due course. So WATCH THIS SPACE.

A vote for Wally

Posted on April 11, 2013 by admin

Wally Martin, our good friend from Langley, BC, has decided to contest the coming provincial election in May from his constituency, on the Green Party platform. A self employed small businessman with an inclination to believe in long term sustainable solutions rather than the current trend of politicians, offering instant short term fixes for everything.

A committed environmentalist and a decent human with an inclusive political outlook to life focussed on sustainability and long term goals, he hopes to serve his community and the Canadian people into refocussing and looking generations into the future, instead of looking for solutions that last for a month or a season.

I spoke with Wally on phone on 11th of April 2013, about his decision to stand for election in a 3 minute statement. Then on April 16th, Wally read out another statement about himself, in another short talk. Both of these were recorded and have now been converted to podcast, linked below.

On 18th of April, I followed Wally as he went knocking on doors in is constituency, drumming up support for his candidacy. That was covered in the video below.

[youtube DrXYLBATDlI]

Good luck – Wally.

Rounding up against Roundup ready Alfalfa

Posted on April 10, 2013 by admin

It was a day of action, three times over. The first order of the day was the most noisy and fun – a day or national protest against introduction of Monsanto’s Genetically Modified, pesticide ready Alfalfa as cattle feed in the eastern provinces of Canada.

Arnold Taylor, David Avery, Bobbie Blair & Tony Mitra before MP Warawa’s office – protesting against GM-Alfalfa

I had spoken with CBAN (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network) and COG (Canadian Organic Growers), both of Ottaway, to learn a bit more of the issue. Relevant points might be:

Alfalfa is a wildly grown plant and naturally suited to withstand weeds and grows in open patches, side of railway tracks, on road side and on open prairie alongside grass, well enough and does not require protection against weeds.
It, along with grass, is an important natural feed for “organic” raised cattle, and other farm animals, as well as wild herbivores.
The western provinces have a good export market for Alfalfa to Asia. The buyers do not want Genetically modified Alfalfa. Introduction of GM-Alfalfa can jeopardize a lucrative export market. So the western provinces have rejected GM-Alfalfa.
In the east, the export market is smaller, and alfalfa is largely for internal consumption for cattle feed and to plant between crops in industrial farms, for nitrogen fixing.
It is therefore in the east, where GM-Alfalfa, or Roundup ready alfalfa, is to be introduced. The side effect of it is to sell a lot of Roundup pesticide, to be sprayed over alfalfa fields. The GM-Alfalfa itself is likely to cross polinate and spoil the organic alfalfa of the prairies. The pesticide is to do the rest.
This essentially can kill the “Organic” farms phylosophy of the east – perhaps one of the business goals behind this drive to Monsantoize the prairies. Also, the long term after effect of all this may turn out into the rape of Canadian environment, food security and bio-diversity.

So, for all these reasons, we stood in front of the local MP’s constituency office in Langley, and signed petitions to stop introduction of GM-Alfalfa in the Canadian east. We also stood by the street corner waving flags and passing the message to passing motorists.

Folks that came and I spoke with, are

Saskatchewan mega-farmer and Anti-GMO crusader Arnold Taylor
Organic Vineyard owner/ operator David Avery
GMO Free Langley crusader Bobbie Blair
Green Party election candidate and anti-GMO crusader Wally Martin
Langley anti-GMO crusader Lucy Nickel
Terry Lynn Sullivan – cancer patient and victim of pesticide / GMO farming.
And many others

[youtube 6ifb49xF1m8]

So, where should GM-Alfalfa go ? Well, if Monsanto wishes to elevate GM-Alfalfa, it might consider putting some of these seeds in a rocket and send it to outer space. What do you say ?

Lana on BC Agriculture

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

Lana Popham and Craig Keating met with people of North Vancouver at Buddha Full Organic cafe, to talk about BC’s agriculture. Craig introduced Lana first.

Lana, incumbent MLA from Sanich South, and an agricultural critic for the BC Government, made a twenty five minute presentation, taking only occasional cue from her notebook. Coming from an agricultural background and having run an organic farm before becoming a politician, she described the need to place Agriculture one of the front and centre issues for the province, with a basic three point program. These three points are:

Grow BC
Feed BC
Buy BC

Below is a recording of the talk, with introduction of Craig Keating. Craig is the city councillor for North Vancouver and is standing for the provincial election this time, along with Lana Popham.

From us, the “No GMO” team, we had Wally, his wife and daughter, Phil and his son Jeff, myself and Anu. We took pictures, like the one above with Lana.

In the short video clip below, North Van councillor and NDP candidate Craig Keating introduces Lana to the crowd at the Budhha Full organic cafe.

[youtube d9ZZVn0Jg6I]

Then Lana made her speed, which I recorded on audio. Listen to her speech in the podcast link below.

In search of support for India’s farmers

Posted on March 31, 2013 by admin

When I first arrived in British Columbia years ago and tried to form a group of people that supported holistic agriculture and wished to help the poor farmers in India that might be going the wrong path of chemical dependent high cost and debt-ridden agro-industrial model, many cautioned me that there was a lack of interest among Indian expatriates, to support sustainable living efforts either back in India or here in Canada. As a result, a very small slice of the Indian diaspora settled in any area ever get to be members of the NGO groups in the US such as AID (Association for India’s Development).

This has also been our experience in Vancouver while trying to register a similar body. On average one out of every twenty thousand or so expatriate Indians might show a cursory interest in the plight of the farmers in India.

In order to break out of that shackling restriction, I had been checking if support might come from local Canadians.

My primary interest has been related to agriculture one way or another, and the GM crop issue (Genetically modified seed crop) piled up on top of it since it is a rather recent phenomena. And in this area, I find that there is a lot of overlap of interest for Indians, Canadians and Americans.

All are facing the menace of GMO. While the battle for the major crops in North America is already over, and the people as well as agro-environment have lost and the corporations won – the issue in India is far from settled. In fact, India is shaping up to be the epicenter of the battle, as Argentina and Brazil have already caved in meekly, and China is watching from the sidelines.

Further, it is perhaps not an exaggeration to state that the Civil Society in India is doing a fantastic job of resisting the onslaught of GMO brought about by corporate interest with the collusion of corrupt Indian politicians.

But India is also facing some quarter million farmer suicides, an unbelievable number. In fact, for a tenth of that number, any other country would likely have had a revolution by now. Unfortunately in India, the root cause and effect of the farmer suicide is not a national hot topic. The upwardly mobile Indian yuppy class is busy with Cricket and Bollywood and whatever else it is busy with. Farmers are outside radar range of the Indian affluent society.

Widow of an Indian farmer that killed himself

However, the fact is perhaps slowly sinking in among Canadians I speak with, and I speak with quite a few, that India might be the epicenter of the war against GMO, and if India wins its battle, Canadians and others might also benefit, in the long run.

So I decided to join hands with Canadian civil society efforts to resist GMO in Canada, starting with the lower mainlands area around Vancouver, and extending out to British Columbia and Canada.

In the past one month, I have managed to get favorable response and establish a sort of communication channel and relationship with at least one MP, one MLA, a number of city councillors for various towns in the region, been included in group list for CBAN (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network – a group based in Ottawa for all of Canada to fight all kinds of GMO, whether food or not, from the Canadian landscape), been a member of GE free BC (GE = Genetically Engineered, BC = British Columbia).

I have been asked to speak a few times at the town hall of Langley after film shows on the harmful effects of GMO. I might speak again on the 11th of April about grassroots work being done by various people on various fronts in different towns in the region, towards raising awareness on GMO and sending a message to the Govt to label GMO and hopefully ban it from Canada in future.

I am invited to two or three meetings in the coming weeks with City Councillors of Surrey, and White Rock, to specifically discuss pros and cons of how to get these towns declare themselves GM free and what kind of message that would send and how to acquire some legal teeth on it.

I am invited to engage with farmland support group and local farmer initiatives to join in on meetings to discuss some of the overlapping issues connecting local farmer going out of business, globalization in food supply, GMO and patented seed monopoly, chemical dependence, and health.

I wrote an email to the Surrey MLA Mr. Jagrup Brar requesting for a meeting of concerned citizens on the possibility of having Surrey declare itself GMO free. Such a resolution, already passed by Richmond, BC, and many other communities in British Columba, may not have legal teeth, but would hopefully send a strong message, raise awareness and have beneficial effect in the long run. I have not received any response yet, but am hopeful.

I did write to Ms Lana Popham, an MLA from Saanich south in Vancouver island, who is trying to block introduction of Arctic (GM) apple into BC farms. She was prompt enough to respond as well as acknowledge our concerns.

I have become a sort of member of a local farm, God’s Little Acre Farm, run by Jas Singh, who produces GMO free and “almost” chemical free, (5% chemical use compared to conventional farms) vegetables, and am planning to make arrangements such that our whole years vegetables may come from there instead of from superstores.

I am going that way with realization that a lot of local farmers have closed shop in the last few decades with the arrival of food superstores that use globalization, importing food from far off lands and shutting out local small farmers. This causes a double whammy of shooting up my carbon footprint on this planet and same time shutting out local farmers and ruining a local self sustaining community and farm economy.

I have written to the food superstores such as Saveon, Safeway, and Thrifty Foods, asking if they will have all GMO food labelled and segregated in their stores. Only Thrifty Foods responded by calling back to check our opinion. I hope more would call them up and entice them to make the move towards labeling and segregating GM food for easy identification of the consumer. I believe it is a basic right of every human to have information on what he or she is eating.

I have communicated with Mr. David Suzuki on the sustainable farming and potential harm of GM crops in Canada as well as in India. I have received an encouraging response from Mr. Suzuki who is focussing, among other things, on raising awareness against the potential danger of introducing GM crops into our diet without knowing what long term adverse effects it is likely to have on general health.

In the process, a whole wide vista has opened up before me. Earlier, I was getting frustrated at the lack of enthusiasm among the well settled and affluent Indian diaspora in helping their less fortunate brothers back in India. But now I find a whole lot more sympathetic Canadians trying to unify under a common cause.

It has cheered me up and help re-establish a belief in our joint future.

I do not know yet how I might get some of that sympathy, energy, effort and fund raising to channel also towards AID Vancouver. But I believe that sympathetic folks usually help each other out. That is why people from Surrey and Delta are invited to Vancouver Anti-GMO meetings and why Canadians join hands with Americans to fight Monsanto in petitions and pickets and organic farm supports.

I hope that it all will eventually work out, and that the compassionate Canadian people will find it in their heart to also help out a less fortunate Indian farmer.

Tony Mitra

Dr. Bhargava – A talk with a top Indian biologist.

Posted on March 30, 2013 by admin

Early in the morning, my phone gave a tinkle. It was a reminder based on a calendar event I had created, to call Dr. Bhargava early my morning when it was late evening in Hyderabad India, where he stayed.

Dr Pushpa M. Bhargava is a well known man. He is founder and former director, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India; former vice chair, National Knowledge Commission, Govt of India; former member, National Security Advisory Board; Nominee of the Supreme Court of India on the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of the Govt of India.

Some of the relevant points discussed were:

Bt. Cotton : This has proven to be bad for India. There is mounting evidence of link between rising farmer suicide and Bt. Cotton. Dr. Bhargava states that he has checked his records going back several decades and in fact has the necessary documents to show the increase in farmer suicide in the Cotton farming belt started in large scale since introduction of Bt. Cotton. He further claims that the Bt. gene is a dangerous item and needs to be banned altogether. He feels optimistic that this will happen in India. However, he believes banning of Bt. Cotton will not come from the Government itself, which is focussed on promoting interest of western corporations. The change will come from public pressure, and the significant role being played by the Indian CIvil Society. This may even turn out to be an election issue next year. Dr. Bhargava further stated that the Govt. of Philippines had invited Dr. Bhargava for his views on some of the Bt. Crops such as Bt. Brinjal and had more or less followed his recommendation in rejecting it in their country.
Roundup Ready crop : According to Dr. Bhargava, this is an even bigger disaster than the Bt. Cottons. But thankfully, it is not introduced in India at all, except in small experiments and field trials. Unfortunately, the Agricultural Minister of India is pushing all he can to promote Western Patented and clearly detrimental technology of GM crop for questionable scientific or ethical reasons. Nonetheless, Roundup Ready crops are a long distance away from large scale introduction in India.
Bt. Brinjal : There was a major groundswell of opposition against Bt. Brinjal in India a few years ago, that prompted the then minister of environment Mr. Jairam Ramesh to investigate the pros and cons issue of the Bt. crop and put a moratorium on it, essentially banning it from India for the foreseeable future. This happened in spite of the money poured into media campaign by corporations and the support the GM crop got from most of the Government and business class. This was perhaps the first major setback for GM crop globally, and set the stage for the rest of the issues.
Supreme Court Case : There is a ground breaking case unfolding in the Indian Supreme Court where top Indian scientific expert committee has advised the Court in a case against the Govt of India, about the harmful effects of GM technology. It is possible that the Supreme Court might force the hand of Govt of India in banning most of the GM crops for now.
Biopiracy : There is another interesting case ongoing in a High Court, initiated by civil society individuals against the Govt of India, providing evidence that Monsanto and its partner have violated the National Biological Diversity Act (2002) by using a variety of Indian eggplant (brinjal) without obtaining the permission of Government of India for such use as required according to Indian laws to produce GM brinjal. This is in essence an act of Biopiracy. The court has seen the evidence and has agreed that the Indian law has been violated and instructed Govt of India to sue Monsanto and its partner, which the Govt is now proceeding to do, but trying to find ways to scuttle the case as far as possible.
Illegal introduction of GM crop : India does not have a good laboratory that can quickly check if a crop is GM or not. Taking advantage of that, a lot of GM crops have sneaked into the Indian food chain, such as imported snacks based on GM corn, GM soya etc. This is as such illegal, but the mechanism is not in place to check it and the law regarding safeguards are not properly implemented. There is a lack of awareness on these issues.
Govt Policy on GM: Unfortunately, it is now a well known fact that Indian policy is being tuned to support American interests and to solve America’s problems rather than India’s own national interest. This is so well known that even Indian politicians accept it unofficially. This too is likely to be an election issue next year. Globalization has allowed an unprecedented level of influence by foreign corporations on national policy making of many countries.
Indian Civil Society: It is also an emerging fact that, in spite of corruption, illiteracy and poverty that ravages India, the Indian Civil Society is likely doing a ground breaking job and achieving better success than almost anywhere else, in fighting the menace of GM crop issue.
Golden Rice: The whole issue of Golden rice is a kind of hoax. It is touted as a solution to vitamin-A deficiency in the third world. It is patented technology, but the patent holder states it is not going to claim intellectual rights on it for now. Calculations show that a man might have to eat 15 Kg of this rice every day to get his normal daily needs of Vitamin-A. This is absurd. This means Vitamin-A has to be taken in primarily from other supplementary food and not from rice, either GM or organic. The aim may be for Golden rice to push out and make extinct all other major strains of rice. Once the competition is gone, then the patent holder begins to increase price of seed and demand intelectual rights to the seed.
Science Research off base : Indian Govt has been, unfortunately, tuning its science research institutions to solve American problems and not Indian problems.
Food supply : The main idea of the GM seed business plan is to control the world food supply – the biggest business in the world. It is not designed to solve either hunger or poverty. It is designed to establish a stranglehold and a monopoly on the world food supply.

The conversation was recorded and is given below in the Podcast. Click on the triangular play button. You may also find it in iTunes.

Dr. Bhargava has seen the above text and approves it. He can be contacted at : bhargava.pm@gmail.com

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